Introduction
Trigger warning: Make no mistake: politicians do not care about your faith in Jesus; they only can and will exploit it for their own secular—and, often very sinful—whims. This statement refers to all politicians, whether authoritarian, centrist, conservative, liberal, or libertarian. There is only one Lord and Savior, only one name under heaven that can save us: Jesus the Messiah, the blessed and only Sovereign, the King of kings and Lord of lords (see Acts 4:12; 1 Tim. 6:15). Because the word "Christ" (Christos; G5547) means "anointed King and Priest," all Christians are first and foremost royal subjects of God's kingdom of heaven (see 1 Pet. 2:9).
Most people have not heard the word "sacralism." However, in our culture wars that set politicized factions of Christendom against militant secularists, many of us are pretty familiar with the concept under the terms "civil religion," "nationalism," or "fundamentalism." Nonetheless, sacralism is the word that best applies to "that perspective on society that views church and state as being tied together, rather than complete and separate entities. In other words, all people within a given geographical or political region are considered members of whichever ecclesiastical institution happens to be dominant" (Hudson, p. 122).
In sacralism, the state is the religion, which results in a civil religion inspired by "Christian nation myths." Neither Jesus nor Paul of Tarsus advocated for a union of church and state, and the idea cannot be found in the New Testament. Instead, the problem of Christian sacralism began with the Roman emperor Constantine I (c. AD 280–337) in the fourth century, some 300 years after Jesus. This "Constantinian shift" in Christianity from a populist network of self-governing ecumenical churches to an ecclesiastical monarchy began with the Edict of Milan in AD 313, which legalized Christianity throughout the Roman Empire. The emperor Theodosius I (AD 347–395) codified this law as a sacralist arrangement between Rome and the Christian bishops with his declaration of Christianity as the official Roman civil religion in AD 392, outlawing paganism as well as every other religion. Coincidentally, the late-antiquity Latin phrase Cuius regio, eius religio ("Whoever controls the region decides its religion") best represents the definition of sacralism.
Definitions of Key Terms in Sacralism
Before we continue with this discussion, let us evaluate some definitions. First of all, there is nothing wrong with being a patriot, which refers to "one who loves and supports their country," deriving from the Greek adjective patrikos (G3967; "belonging to the fathers, ancestors"). In other words, a patriot considers their home country an ancestral "fatherland" (patria, G3965). Patrikos turns out exactly once in the New Testament, when Paul wrote, "I advanced in Judaism beyond many among my people of the same age, for I was far more zealous for the traditions of my ancestors" (Gal. 1:14). Patria shows up three times in the New Testament, which the New International Version (NIV) renders as "line," "peoples," or "family" (see Luke 2:4; Acts 3:25; Eph. 3:15). Nevertheless, civic duty is a good thing, and the best communities across the world thrive from it. Simple things like visiting local businesses and the hometown ballpark are idyllic ways we all love to show civic duty. However, when that benevolent self-identification turns into a vicious denial of others—seizing control of resources and property—this is nationalism.
A nationalist is someone with "loyalty and devotion to a nation, especially with a sense of national consciousness exalting one nation above all others and placing primary emphasis on promoting its culture and interests as opposed to those of other nations or supranational groups." So, when a so-called "Christian nationalist" merges their religion with their nationalism, they create an immoral worldview that is "sacral," a syncretic blend of the sacred and secular. Yes, sacralism is a syncretic religion, just like voodoo or santería. The roots are just as corrupt, lending to the term "civil religion." Make no mistake: A follower of a nationalistic civil religion is not a true believer of the Christian faith but an evildoer who uses religion for their sinful agendas. This is why Jesus' valid message in scripture angers and alienates the civil religion nationalists in our churches.
Moreover, national flags do not belong inside church buildings and should not be seen around the property. Our allegiance belongs to God alone, and we know that giving our devotion and time to anything else is "image worship" (Greek: eidōlolatria; G1495, "idolatry"). Paul asked, "What agreement is there between the temple of God and idols? For we are the temple of the living God" (2 Cor. 6:16).
No Country for Old Christians
In his letter to the Philippian church, Paul admonished them, "But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ" (Phil. 3:20). Likewise, Simon Peter warned, "Dear friends, I urge you, as foreigners and exiles, to abstain from sinful desires, which wage war against your soul" (1 Pet. 2:11). This idea that Christians are merely pilgrims in this world continued well into the next few centuries. For example, the Letter to Diognetus (c. AD 200) best explains what it means for Christians to be pilgrims rather than nationalists:
For the Christians are distinguished from other men neither by country, nor language, nor the customs which they observe. For they neither inhabit cities of their own, nor employ a peculiar form of speech, nor lead a life which is marked out by any singularity. The course of conduct which they follow has not been devised by any speculation or deliberation of inquisitive men; nor do they, like some, proclaim themselves the advocates of any merely human doctrines. But, inhabiting Greek as well as barbarian cities, according to the lot each of them has determined, and following the customs of the natives in respect to clothing, food, and the rest of their ordinary conduct, they display to us their wonderful and confessedly striking method of life. They dwell in their own countries, but simply as sojourners. As citizens, they share in all things with others and yet endure all things as if foreigners. Every foreign land is to them as their native country and every land of their birth as a land of strangers. They marry, as do all [others]; they beget children; but they do not destroy their offspring [see "Pastoral Response: Abortion"]. They have a common table, but not a common bed. They are in the flesh, but they do not live after the flesh. They pass their days on earth, but they are citizens of heaven. They obey the prescribed laws and, at the same time, surpass the laws in their lives. They love all men and are persecuted by all. They are unknown and condemned; they are put to death and restored to life (Ch. 5, "Manners of the Christians").
Give to Caesar What Is Caesar's
Sacralists use two main passages as proof texts for their worldview, beginning with Jesus' profound lesson contrasting the Roman emperor (Latin: Caesar) with God:
"Tell us then, what is your opinion? Is it right to pay the imperial tax to Caesar or not?" But Jesus, knowing their evil intent, said, "You hypocrites, why are you trying to trap me? Show me the coin used for paying the tax." They brought him a denarius, and he asked them, "Whose image is this? And whose inscription?" "Caesar's," they replied. Then he said to them, "So give back to Caesar what is Caesar's, and to God what is God's" (Matt. 22:17-21).
The typical American interpretation of Jesus' teaching reads in (i.e., eisegesis) the Establishment Clause, a stipulation at the beginning of the First Amendment to the United States Constitution: "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof" (National Constitution Center). Moreover, this is a significant category error, considering the Bible and the United States Constitution have vastly different contexts and meanings. Christians should not be using modern political documents to interpret scripture. No, Jesus was not teaching first-century Jews to separate their religion from politics. In context, he responded to Pharisees with a libertarian stance toward the Roman Empire versus the Zealots (e.g., Simon), who led various insurgencies against it. Both groups wanted to trap Jesus into siding with one side, a zero-sum game that would make him either an enemy of the state or the Jewish people if he had fallen for it. Far from picking a side, Jesus redirected the Pharisees and the Zealots to look to God. Both groups were guilty of being too concerned about worldly goals but failed to strive for the kingdom of heaven (see "Kingdom of God & Heaven"). We, Christians, know better than to make this same mistake.
So, what does "give back to Caesar what is Caesar's, and to God what is God's" mean if it has nothing to do with the separation of church and state? Once we remove the blinders of contemporary Western systematic theology and open our eyes to the New Testament's ancient Mediterranean biblical theology, we see that Jesus was contrasting the image of God—humankind—with the emperor's image engraved on the coin. With this better understanding, we now see that Jesus said that Jews paying Roman taxes had nothing to do with their relationship with God. The coin was the legitimate property of the emperor, so it was his to take and for the Jews to return. However, the soul is the property of God, something no politician could ever take from him.
A common phrase we hear today, "You can take my body, but you will never have my soul," gives us a better interpretation of Jesus' lesson than the Establishment Clause. A small metal coin is the only thing the emperor can claim from us, but God's jurisprudence and providence extend to all humankind. Jesus taught that the emperor could have his money because God owns so much more, and his blessings for us are much more incredible! "Why would people gain the whole world but lose their lives?" (Mark 8:36). Keep in mind, the emperor's coin was technically a graven image forbidden to Jews, mainly because its pagan symbolism implied the emperor's supposed deity, and was thereby, a violation of the second commandment (see Exod. 20:4). The Greek noun charagma (G5480; lit. "imprint" or "graven image") translated as "image" in the NIV (see Acts 17:29) was the same word that John used to represent the mark of the beast (see Rev. 16:2; 19:20). Therefore, the Jewish leaders were guilty of nationalism and idolatry. This was best exemplified when they declared to the Roman prefect of Judea, Pontius Pilate, "If you let this man go, you are no friend of Caesar. Anyone who claims to be a king opposes Caesar. . . . We have no king but Caesar" (John 19:12, 15). As Christians, we only have God's image and no king but Jesus, who tells us:
Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one's life for one's friends. You are my friends if you do what I command. I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master's business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you (John 15:13-15).
Conclusion
The other passage that sacralists willfully misinterpret is Paul's thesis statement about Christians and the Roman government. Yes, reading the Bible typologically and applying its meaning for today is essential, but we must do so according to its original setting. When Paul wrote his letter to Christians living in Rome, the empire's very heart, he addressed people who could not vote for their leaders. Although some believers, like Paul (see Acts 22:25-27), had Roman citizenship, most first-century Christians did not. We moderns must be mindful not to assume the context of a democratic constitutional republic when reading the following:
Let everyone be subject to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God. Consequently, whoever rebels against the authority is rebelling against what God has instituted, and those who do so will bring judgment on themselves. For rulers hold no terror for those who do right, but for those who do wrong. Do you want to be free from fear of the one in authority? Then do what is right and you will be commended. For the one in authority is God's servant for your good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for rulers do not bear the sword for no reason. They are God's servants, agents of wrath to bring punishment on the wrongdoer. Therefore, it is necessary to submit to the authorities, not only because of possible punishment but also as a matter of conscience. This is also why you pay taxes, for the authorities are God's servants, who give their full time to governing. Give to everyone what you owe them: If you owe taxes, pay taxes; if revenue, then revenue; if respect, then respect; if honor, then honor (Rom. 13:1-7).
Paul's instructions here are consistent with Jesus' teaching of "give back to Caesar," as well as the Covenant of Noah between God and all nations (cf. Gen. 9:4-6; see "Doctrine & Praxis," p. 8). Respecting the government does not mean we must swear our soul-felt allegiance to it. Remember, Paul himself was accused of "defying Caesar's decrees, saying that there is another king, one called Jesus" (Acts 17:7). Likewise, when the Sanhedrin tried Peter and John, they declared, "Which is right in God's eyes: to listen to you, or to him? You be the judges! As for us, we cannot help speaking about what we have seen and heard" (Acts 4:19-20). Yes, this was a form of civil disobedience, which is justified when a secular government tries to suppress God's church. In contrast, the Christian bishops of the fourth century were weary of nearly 300 years of Roman persecution (esp., Nero, Domitian, and Diocletian), so they greeted Constantine's reforms with much enthusiasm. To their defense, the bishops subsequently delineated a "two swords" political philosophy that kept the church separate from the empire, unlike the former pagan regimes in which the Roman Senate deified their Caesars. However, they also developed a sacralist worldview in which military service was no longer prohibited for believers (see "Peacemakers & Just War"), culminating in the violent Crusades (1095–1291) that, at times, had Christians going to war with other Christians. By the time former U.S. president George W. Bush (b. 1946)—an Evangelical—remarked, "This crusade [holy war], this war on terrorism, is going to take a while," Constantinian sacralism was a well-entrenched part of Christendom. This is to our shame.
As Christians, we know that God "makes nations great, and destroys them; he enlarges nations, and disperses them" (Job 12:23). Likewise, the prophet Amos recorded God asking, "Did I not bring Israel up from Egypt, the Philistines from Caphtor and the Arameans from Kir?" (9:7). In other words, God formed the boundaries of all nations, not just Israel (see Deut. 32:8). Who are we to fight amongst ourselves over who is faster, stronger, and better? One day, every man, woman, and child from every nation under heaven must bow their knee and "acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father" (Phil. 2:10-11). Moreover, every nation will be erased from the map when God inaugurates the new earth, making the old one pass away (see Rev. 21:1). Finally, this advice from Paul, which is consistent with his message in Romans 13, teaches us the proper way to view government:
I urge, then, first of all, that petitions, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for all people—for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness (1 Tim. 2:1-2).
Let us "Make the Commission Great Again" by doing what Jesus commanded: "Therefore, go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit" (Matt. 28:19; see "Cost of Christian Discipleship"). This is the only way we can truly reach the "leavers" who chose "Chrexit" to deconstruct and abandon the church.
Prayer
Blessed are you, LORD our God, King of the universe; you have made of one blood all the peoples of the earth, and sent your blessed Son to preach peace to those who are far off and to those who are near: Grant that people everywhere may seek after you and find you; bring the nations into your fold; pour out your Spirit upon all flesh, and hasten the coming of your kingdom; through Jesus the Messiah our Lord. Amen.
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